The Complete Irken Report
by Moga
Summary: Should be selfexplanatory.  The Irken Empire explained in the terminology of humans.  Chapter five: Economy.
1. Anatomy

Author's Note: Hello all! Because I'm odd and like doing this sort of research, I present the first installment of The Complete Irken Report. Yes, it's obsessive fandom at, if not its height, than pretty darn close to it. The majority of the information is taken from canon and applied to research. Or perhaps it's the other way around… There is also some artistic liberty taken here, such as the inclusion, or at least mention, of the Archai. They're mine and their used as an evolutionary ancestor for Irkens. Hopefully the mentions of them are clear enough.

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**Anatomy**

Overall, Irkens have evolved little since their days as Archai. Most of their evolution process is a tale of loss; yet at the same time progress as they lost anatomical baggage that no longer served them any purpose. One of their first losses was the deterioration of the Upper stomach that Archai relied on to store extra food, water, and assorted non-edible tools and trinkets. As Irkens became exclusively bipedal - as opposed to Archai who could walk upright but often traveled on all fours - they were able to carry food, water, and assorted other items in their hands or in carrying bags that they crafted first out of animal hides and later out of synthetic, factory-made materials. This led to the loss of the storage pouch located on the outside of the body over the region of the lower stomach.

Irkens also lost their sharp teeth, a new diet rendering their incisors disadvantageous. From a primarily meat-based diet, Irkens chose a more balanced diet and developed canine and molar teeth capable of grinding plants. These teeth, in addition to a reduced number of incisor teeth, allowed Irkens to both tear meat and chew plants, giving them a dental anatomy similar to humans. As time progressed and Irkens began to rely on dietary supplement pills, their teeth changed to almost exclusively contain dulled canines; flat and dull enough to grind pills but also sharp enough to cause some damage when used to bite as a last resort in close-quarters combat.

Actually, it is Irkens adversity to close-quarters combat that sets them apart from their ancestors who fought exclusively in close-quarters combat. Irkens are by no means weak in this area, but only when compared to their evolved build; which is not designed for hand-to-hand combat. Irkens have therefore evolved a lethal poison that acts as both as necrotoxin and a neurotoxin. Unlike most venomous creatures, Irkens do not store their venom in a venom sack, but in each tooth. Irkens can control the concentration of the venom they release, allowing their venom a range of utility, from temporary paralysis to a deadly muscle-destroyer to an acid capable of burning through lesser metals.

They have grown taller, now averaging between three and a half to five feet in height. Part of their growth can be contributed to the redefinition of the bones in their legs. Instead of being bent forward from hip to knee and than backwards from knee to ankle, the Irkens leg is decidedly humanoid; straight, and with the evolutionary addition of a kneecap - meaning that their legs can no longer bend both ways.

The rest of their height increase can be attributed to a better diet and genetic tempering. Irkens get almost all of their necessarily vitamins from supplementary pills and a fast metabolism allows for mass caloric intake simply for hedonistic the pleasure of eating. Irkens no longer produce live young themselves but have moved the continuation of their species into laboratories.

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Next section: Life Cycle


	2. Senses

Author's Note: Chapter two: the Senses. Yes, I lied last chapter about this being the life cycle installment. Why? Because ri2 pointed out that I didn't cover antennae in the anatomy chapter. So I wrote a new chapter to rectify the error.

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Mommaleasey- Thank you! Also, I very much appreciate the watch.

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ri2- (Headdesk) I forgot the antennae. How could I forget the antennae?! For pointing out this error and consequently making me write this chapter, I suppose this installment is dedicated to you.

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LoneHowler- Thanks for the review and the watch. Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

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avatarjk137- Glad you like it! Thanks for the watch.

--- Senses 

Irkens have a wide range of senses incorporated in to their physical bodies as well as senses that their PAK can simulate. The first sense is sight, which Irkens artificially enhance with optical implants; ranging from chips in their PAK that improve visual image quality and clarity to complete cybernetic optical implants. Irkens eyes are forward facing but protrude from the eye sockets, giving them a both a wider range of vision than humans and a larger percentage of visual overlap (both eyes seeing the same image). The Irken range of vision is around 260 degrees, with a total of 210 degrees of vision for each eye. In order to calculate total vision, it should be noted, the degree of visual overlap, 120 degrees for Irkens, must be subtracted from the degree of vision in one eye and the resulting number added to the degree of vision unique to each eye, 70 in this case, in order to find total vision range. Humans, in comparison, have a total visual range of 180 degrees with a 90 degree overlap, giving each eye a unique visual range of 45 degrees.

Interestingly, Irkens see with vision tinted to the color of their eyes. There is no known explanation for this, and the color shift can be viewed as disadvantageous, given the possibility of certain objects becoming less noticeable or nearly invisible. There is a possibility that the color tint is an attempt to keep Irkens away from artistic pursuits, which are frowned upon, by partially removing their ability to distinguish colors different from that of their eyes.

How Irkens hear is a topic that has been debated for awhile; with the two most popular hearing mechanisms being either the antennae or inner ears. What is known is that Irkens antennae are capable of mild thermoception, the ability to sense heat and the absence of it (cold). The antennae are not truly comparable to human ears because, although Irkens pick up sound vibrations with their antennae, they do not perform all of the functions that a human ear does, as the Irken antennae does incorporate any sense of balance. However, hearing is considered a separate sense from equilibrioception. Balance is kept in a way similar to humans, with an internal, fluid filled canal located close to the sides of an Irken's head; a partial inner ear. The vestibular sense is also imitated by the PAK, which uses a series of gyroscopes to determine orientation.

An Irken's sense of taste is arguably a largely useless sense. Because Irkens do not need to eat to live and only do so for their own pleasure, they do not truly need the ability to taste but desire it. However, since shortly after the creation of cloning techniques and the mapping of Irken DNA, it has been argued that Irkens should modify their ability to taste to remove the receptors for sourness and bitterness. The counterargument to this is that some Irkens enjoy the use of those taste buds and that Irkens actually do have the freedom to chose which snacks they enjoy eating. There has also been the occasional suggestion of removing the ability to taste salt, though there are no records that there has ever been a proposal to remove the receptors for sweetness and umami (savoriness).

Irkens have a largely stunted sense of smell, as it was found to be the easiest solution to the problem of unsavory smells caused by all the chemicals and factories on Irken planets. Although Irkens do not have a visible nose, there is a permeable area of the skin located approximately where a nose would be; slightly below the center line between the eyes. In order to smell something, Irkens need to be close to the object, within a foot at least and usually even closer.

Irkens also have an artificially stunted and heightened sense of touch. It is not a change that was made at a genetic level but by the Irken lifestyle. By wearing full body uniforms from smeethood, Irken skin rarely comes into contact with anything that is not their uniform or a substance used for personal hygiene. The Irken sense of tactition is therefore largely useless because of the lack of contact they are allowed. However, should an Irken's flesh come in to contact with a new object, their senses are comparatively heightened because the experience of touch is a relatively new one for the individual Irken and they therefore gather more information than they otherwise would because they have not lost physical sensitivity.

An Irken's PAK can artificially perceive other senses outside of the basic five. The PAK, with its ability to scan for injuries and other medical problems, creates a sense of nociception, the perception of damage or near-damage to tissue (skin, joints and bones, and bodily organs). The Irkens physical body usually does not perceive pain, except in brief flashes at the time that injury is incurred, because of the PAK's ability to heal its host body and its ability to either infuse pain killers in to the host's body or to disconnect the host's ability to perceive pain (a dangerous practice, because an Irken could then unknowingly push their body past its limits and perhaps beyond the PAK's healing abilities).

The PAK also handles proprioception, the awareness of where various regions of the body are located at any one time. This helps to handle balance and coordination as well as allows an Irken to rely on their PAK enhancements (their extra mechanical legs, in particular) without having to consciously keep track of the extra appendages.

Both the PAK and the antennae have a highly developed sense of electroception, the ability to detect electric fields. Although the antennae are very useful in this perception, the information gathered by them on electrical fields is handled by the PAK. This is because Irken planets are extraordinarily mechanically advanced and any given area is likely to be generating multiple electrical fields. The massive amount of sensatory data is therefore handled by the PAK, which classifies electrical pulses with Irkens signal patterns as low priority data, which is almost entirely ignored unless a fluctuational anomaly is found in the signal. The PAK deals largely with electrical fields that are not a product of Irken machinery, monitoring the number of electrical fields in range of an Irken and the strength and source of each. There are two reasons for the highly advanced nature of this sense, the first being the potential danger of an electrical field to an Irken. Although a PAK is designed to be able to absorb and protect itself from large doses of foreign electricity, a strong enough shock will damage a PAK. The ability to sense electrical fields allows an Irken to be aware of imminent PAK danger and to leave the range of the dangerous field or fields. The second use of this sense is to allow Irkens on enemy planets to find any weapon advanced enough to create an electrical field and either destroy it or take it for their own use.

The PAK and antennae can also work in tandem to create a sense of echolocation. The antennae already have the ability to sense sound vibrations, so the PAK simply needs to send out a sound wave so that the Irken has something to listen for. Again, this sense is especially useful on enemy planets, where operations may be held under the cover of darkness and an Irken is unlikely to known the terrain very well.

In addition to a homing chip inside the PAK, the PAK can be useful in navigating if it can detect and interpret a planet's magnetic field. It is unwise to rely on a PAK's magnetoception, however, because it usually picks up too many other, smaller magnetic fields to be able to make a clear map. In addition, magnetoception is primarily used for long distance travel, usually for migratory purposes. For an Irken to move that sort of distance, they would be almost guaranteed to be using Irken equipment with proper guidance systems far more accurate than a PAK's magnetoception.

The PAK is also capable of pressure detection, a very useful mechanism for maintaining pressure equilibrium for space armor.

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Next section: Life Cycle (unless someone reminds me I need to write something that I haven't written yet and logically goes before life cycle)

Also, it was very annoying to figure out an Irkens range of vision. But I did do it using a real formula: Total degrees of vision for each eye minus visual overlap between eyes equals the number of unique visual degrees for each eye. Take the total degrees of vision for each eye (the last number you got times two) and add it to the degree of overlap to get total visual range. For humans the math is: 135-9045. 45+45+90180. So using the numbers I plugged in for Irkens it becomes: 210-12070. 70+70+120260.


	3. Life Cycle

Author's Note: Chapter two: the Life Cycle. This is probably the chapter with the most speculation and creative license, just because there's so little information available from the canon. Hopefully I wove something believable though, based on educated guessing, logic, and the existence of similar systems.

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avatarjk137- … Er, wow… See, this is why I passed my AP English exams and stopped taking regular level math courses as soon as I had enough math credits to graduate. This is also why I should never, under any circumstances, be allowed to do math on paper. From now on, a calculator should be surgically attached to my hand so that I am never tempted by the clearly too-difficult-for-me pencil (forbid I even consider thinking of possibly using a pen!) and paper method of doing math. However, because I do not lie about my (nonexistent) math abilities, I think I'll leave the last chapter as it is. Now my bad math is immortalized!

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Mommaleasey- Ak, gaggitty, spoot! (Flails around babbling incoherently, with steam wafting out the ears) For whatever else I may pretend to know about, I know nothing whatsoever about engineering, mechanics, and battle weaponry (excepts for MICLICs, I just can't forget a name like that). If you want to see awesome, pwnful, Irken ship greatness, I very happily point you to the DeviantArt account of letsmakebiscuits, who's account does not get nearly enough love for all the 3D amazing that he posts. And a fave! Whoo! (favorite'd dance) An' I get a cookie! (Eats, all the while sending shifty glares at everyone)

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ri2- On evolving naturally, although I don't think they're gong to be mentioned anywhere in this, I did shove a link between the hyper advanced Irkens and the not-even-really stone age Archai. Called only the Others (because the Archai feared their unnatural machines and (oh noes!) their atheism) they were Irkens before they started adding machinery to their own bodies. But their hard to write about because they split in to so many different groups based on what sciences/experiments they wanted to pursue. And, skipping all technology, the Archai committed mass genocide on themselves, because they lived in family groups and didn't like anyone else. And then there was an ice age, so that basically did them in. But I figure, if Irkens weren't so reliant on technology, their physical bodies would be strong. With technology so close at hand, why stop their bodies from deteriorating if they can substitute the weakened part with a mechanical replacement better than the organic piece removed was before atrophy? Why bother bettering their bodies when they can create something that will last so much longer and is so much easier to fix or replace should it get broken?

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**Life Cycle**

There are three types of labs in which smeets can be made: Generic Clone labs, Custom Labs, and Splicing Labs. The Clone labs don't really produce exact clones, but mix genetic strains from two random Irkens in the genetic database to create a smeet. These smeets account for, essentially, the entire Irken population. Because of this, generic smeets have an advantage over smeets from the other two types of labs because Irken society and all of its features were designed with the generic smeet in mind. The downside to being a generic smeet is that any given individual from a generic lab is simply one amongst billions; easily replaceable and therefore highly expendable, with very low odds of ever gaining a high rank in any given field.

The Custom labs allow affluent and/ or influential individuals to create a smeet by inputting such factors as gender, eye color, skin pigment, maximum height range, and, to some extent, personality. The resulting smeet can be made using genetic information from any number of individuals. Using money and or power to produce a perfect clone of an Irken, either a high ranking individual or a clone of the financial backer themselves is heavily frowned upon and usually requires some underhanded work to accomplish. However, exact clones are rarely sought, since the PAK of the cloned individual would be required to truly clone an Irken. Smeets produced in a Custom lab are almost guaranteed to hold high ranks. Unlike over 90 percent of the Irken population, Custom lab smeets are not required by Irken law to attend the Academy (discussed later). Instead they are taken under the guidance of their Creator, usually called a Master, and are given the title Apprentice. They are educated by their Master and any instructors the Master gets for him or her. There is no set length for an Apprentices education, although it usually takes longer than the standard Academy educational cycles. This is because in addition to their basic education, Apprentices are almost always raised as protégées of their Master and are taught inside tips and tricks for getting ahead in their field. When an Apprentices education is deemed completed, they are evaluated by a Control Brain and assigned to an official rank. Although the vast majorities of Apprentices are assigned to the rank their had been requisitioned for and continue to work under their Master, some are found unfit for that rank and are reassigned to a position the Control Brain finds them better suited for.

The Splicing labs focus on advancing the Irken race by splicing in small fragments of alien DNA into Irken fetuses. All of the splice lab smeets have special PAKs with increased monitoring capabilities, allowing for long distance data collection.

The Clone labs release a test tube Irken after it has finished developing, attaches a standard PAK, and sends it on to the one of many Hatcheries. Observational Hatcheries are special Hatcheries that care for Custom lab smeets who's Creator doesn't have the time to take care of a smeet. A small sampling of Generic lab smeets are also kept in observational Hatcheries and observed throughout their lives to ensure that all levels of the Empire are running as they should be.

Smeets are raised in bulk at the Hatcheries until they develop the motor and communicative skills they need to move on to the next level of their education. Generic lab smeets are sent on to the Academy, where they will be educated in history, science, mechanics, and battle. At the end of their first educational cycle, they will be split in to one of three Standard Classes: Students, Soldiers, and Scholars. Students specialize in history and mechanics, preparing to take on behind-the-scenes careers in research and annotation or machinery repair and construction. Soldiers specialize in battle with an emphasis on science to be a soldier either in the massive block army or sent out individually or in small group for infiltration and scout work. Scholars received a fully rounded education and will enter into the government. Scholars become advisers and are required to have at least a partial education as both Students and Soldiers.

From all of these groups, Irkens with special characteristics will be pulled from their training and reassigned to Medic of Merchant class. Neither Medics nor Merchants are purposely made in the labs, with the exception of an individual from either of the above classes creating their own smeet at a Custom lab and raising the resulting smeet as an Apprentice. Being the Apprentice of a Medic or Merchant class Irken is the best way to become part of either of those classes. Although these classes are smaller than the others, there is still no guarantee of obtaining a high rank, especially in the Merchant class, which is often heavily regulated by the Empire to ensure that the economy and the value of Irken currency remains stable. In all cases Medic, and Merchant, PAKs are modified to provide a pertinent selection of tools for their new trade.

Scientist is also a class that Irkens can be put in to. Considered more valuable as a Scholar, Medic, or Merchant, Irkens originally placed in the Scholar class will not be transferred to the Scientist class. The pool of Scientists is comprised of ex- Student or Soldier class Irkens, who will continue with a heavy work load of all their original tracks (history, science, mechanics, and battle).

Any Custom lab smeets placed in a Hatchery will be returned to their Creator once the Creator feels that the smeet can be handled by persons other than Hatchery workers. Details on an Apprentice's education where previously discussed.

Special arrangements are made for the education of Splice lab smeets, which range from a full, uninterrupted education at the Academy to being taught entirely outside of the Academy. Splice lab smeets usually attend the Academy part-time, between performing in experiments and being given an outside education, focusing largely on their purpose and abilities.

Irkens will hold only one job in their class. If they are not capable of their life-job, they will be transferred to the other Standard Class (Students and Soldiers are not transferred to the Scholar class). If that job also does not work out, the Irken will be demoted to a Civilian Class position (e.g. the equivalent of a minimum wage job).

Irkens are paid very little for their work, due to excessive taxes. In exchange, though, there are very few necessities that they need to buy for themselves. Standard, single-person apartments with utilities (electricity, Irken water equivalent, heating, ect.) are provided to every member of the population. Better housing is available, but has to be paid for. Dietary pills and basic foods are provided on an individual basis, using medical records to determine how much each individual needs to consume to operate at maximum efficiency. While all Irkens take the dietary pills, Irkens with more wealth can either pay for a better food plan or purchase foods they prefer from a Merchant. Medical procedures are also free, ensuring that all Irkens have health care access should they require care beyond the abilities of their PAK.

Irkens will eventually die and the contents of their PAK's data chips will be transferred to a collective database. An outstanding Irken can be revived through direct cloning and implementation of their data chips, if not their entire PAK, into the perfect clone.

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Next section: Government


	4. Government

Author's Note: (Big shiny sad eyes) I made'd a preview image for the next story I'm working on… It's at my DA account (/deviation/61185309/) (enormous eyes of adorableness). (Much more serious, complete with finger pointing) And I want to know what _you_ think it is. That's why it's also known as the Green Inkblot Test; I've gotten some fun answers to what it is and I'd like to here what people familiar with Irkens think it is.

In other news, this story is working its way to the top of my stats list in every category. Woohoo!

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Mommaleasey- Bake sale! (pounces) As for those Tallest's suits, because I didn't have enough information to want to put it in the actual passage, is that once they are selected as Tallest and go through that process (as described below), their bodies react very poorly and their bones growth more, or at least faster, than anything else. They then need those suits to cover up the deformities caused by gaining unnatural height, such as having their spine be extended much more than it should and not having enough necessary fat to spread through their enlarged bodies. 

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avatarjk137- (happy squeeing!) Thanks for the fave! I hope I maybe can help set a foundation; if nothing else this story provides a fast way to get information and spur on ideas of the reader's own invention.

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Sorinchako- Thanks for the fave!

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ri2- Happy? You bet they are! Society can't run if the majority of your population is miserable and either deserting you or trying to find a way to kill themselves that doesn't end in their PAK saving them. I cover how happiness is maintained in another chapter, but I think a good motto for the Irkens is: "If your hands aren't bleeding you're not working hard enough. If your hands _are_ bleeding you better be damn happy about it." Or something along those lines.

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Government 

At first glance, the Irken Empire appears to be a cross between a Fascist and a Totalitarian government system. Adhering vehemently to the ideology of fascism, Irkens place the nation (Empire; biological, cultural, and historical) above all else. Loyalty is devoted entirely to the idea of the Empire and the Empire is, literally, a mobilized planetary community.

In fitting with the Fascist ideology, key components of the Irken Empire are nationalism, authoritarianism, militarism, corporatism (having small groups that control different areas of the economy), collectivism, anti-liberalism, and anti-communism (not stateless, classless, with shared means of production, etc.). The Empire also aims to quash individualism and is strictly anti-pluralist (they don't acknowledge diversity).

Irkens also fit into a Totalitarianism form of government due to the level of collectivism found in the Empire. As Totalitarianists, the heads of the Irken Empire seek to control virtually all aspects of public and private life.

The Irken Empire has also succeeded in the Totalitarianist goal of having the entire populous follow the planetary ideology and stamping out almost all activities which are not directed towards the advancement of the Empire's goals.

There are no labor unions, religious factions (or any religion at all, actually, Irkens are atheists), or political parties. The Irken Empire is not, however, a Single-party state, which will be further explained later. The Irken Empire does have a practice similar to a dominant-party system, under which opposition (those not in power) have laws unfairly levied against them to prevent them from legally gaining power.

The Irken Empire also uses a watchdog system of mass surveillance by monitoring the data feed from the PAKs supporting all Irkens (to be further discussed later). Because of this near-flaw-proof method, the Irken Empire has no need for a secret police force. Propaganda is usually delivered through the Empire-controlled mass media puppet and also directly into an Irken's mind through the PAK. Free discussion and criticism are outlawed and never spoken about. Terror tactics are used in the form of public executions and usually involve 'audience participation' or a 'spectator sport' (Blood sport), turning the guilty into sub-Irkens; toys meant to be played with and then disposed of.

A deeper, more introspective look at the Irken Empire may be able to pull back the layers of deceit and find the real government behind the mobilized community. In reality, the Irken Empire is a Krytocracy locked into the mind-set of Totalitarianism. The Empire is ruled from the judicial branch, which contains the massive network that monitors the data feed from the chips implanted in the PAKs. The judicial branch is comprised of Control Brains; cyborgs who border on becoming full animations.

In a pure Krytocracy, judges would rule by their whims, based on the judge's personal opinions. Control Brains, however, do not have opinions. They rely purely on facts and, when asked for their own opinion, can only make a selection by weighing the pros and cons of each choice, facts, against each other to arrive at the option they find to be most beneficial.

The front that acts as the leader (Tallest) of the Irken Empire is not, entirely, a puppet, however. The Irken who becomes Tallest is not, contrary to popular belief, necessarily the tallest Irken in the Empire at the time that a new Tallest is chosen. Instead, the Control Brains scans the very topmost percentage, well below one percent, of the Empire's tallest Irkens. Even though only such a small percentage is considered for the position of Tallest, it must be remembered that there are billions of Irkens within the Empire, and there for even one percent means that over 10,000,000 Irkens would need to be scanned.

The Control Brains chose a front leader primarily by judging an Irkens intelligence, strength, and charisma. All Irkens obey the Control Brains, so the Control Brains merely need to find a front that appears as desirable to the population, to help encourage obedience and order. In addition, the Irken who is given the position of Tallest must be free of any and all defects, as some defects are considered to not interfere with an Irken's life and as such there may be Tallest candidates with minor defects such as mismatched eyes of slight speech impediments (possibly a lisp or a stutter). The chosen Irken is than given growth hormones until he or she is Taller than any other Irken. The growth hormone usually places a Tallest's height at between the upper edge of six feet and the lower edge of eight feet, allowing the Tallest to not just be taller than any other Irken, but to have at least half a foot over any other Irken.

The Tallest is suppose to appear as appear as a powerful figure to unite and lead the Irken Empire, but really only provides ideas and carries out the decisions of the Control Brains. To help them in these tasks, the Tallest has a council of Scholar Class Advisor Irkens to help provide ideas. The Scholars also form a series of small groups within themselves that specialize in managing specific sections of the Empire, ranging from making sure the Academy is turning out productive Irkens, to the number of smeets being made, to military operations, to handling Irk's social services, to handling foreign treaties, and everything in between.

The real number of people who claim power in the Irken Empire is actually unknown. There are many different kinds of Control Brains, ranked by their processing power, which grows with their experience. The Control Brain with the most processing power is usually the Head Control Brain. However, a pre-existing Head Control Brain usually keeps other Control Brains close by. This way, should a new Head Control Brain emerge, the groups' combined processing power can push away the newcomer. Control Brains usually get the alliance of other Control Brains by setting up data exchanges; exchanging knowledge and therefore increasing each others processing power.

It would seem like this system would be very competitive and Control Brains would fight amongst themselves to hide or steal information. However, in the Control Brain caste system, all information from a lower Control Brain is automatically passed up to all the Control Brains in the tiers above it (with the exception of the first line of watchdog Control Brains, who only pass up information that is malicious or that they do not recognize; red flags for a problem). With this system, the Head Control Brain gets all information from Control Brains of all levels (again, minus most of the data from the first level of watchdogs). Therefore, the only way for a Control Brain to get information from other Control Brains in its own tier or in higher tiers is to form an allegiance with such a Control Brain.

Due to this ladder of information, alliances are formed horizontally and from the top down. Control Brains of the same tier may band together move up in rank, but this is less common than a top-to-bottom alliance. A top-to-bottom alliance is almost strictly reserved for the upper tiers of the Control Brain caste system. The higher up the system one goes, the more important the information the Control Brain has. Such alliances are used most often by Head Control Brains to unite and gain the support of the two-to-five Control Brains on the tier below it, as a way to keep them focused on a common goal. Also, in this way the other Control Brains won't allow for forceful take over of the Head Control Brain; not wanting to lose their source of information.

In any event, the Irken Empire can also be easily called an Oligarchy. Their form of government would be called an Ocholocracy, if not for the amount of organization (Hierarchy: Head Control Brain, Control Brain Council, Tallest, Tallest's Advisors, Tallest Apprentice (optional)) and the lack of opposition to intimidate. It can also be easily classified as a Plutocracy, with power centralized in the small upper class, a form of government that doesn't need to be a government system in and of itself but that can be layered over another form of government and applied therein.

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Next section: Economy

Which is likely to be pared with the release of chapter one of my next story because there was so little information on Irken economy to work with. Seriously, the author's note and response to reviews will probably be longer than the chapter itself. But the following chapter should be nice and long to make up for it!


	5. Economy

Author's Note: Bwarg, I'm sorry this took so long! But the original was less than 150 words and I just couldn't bring myself to post it. So I spent time looking for more information to put in her, with a good bit of success.

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avatarjk137- Thank you! Although, I suppose this one wasn't all that fast in the posting.

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Kayota- Hee, thanks. But please remember most of this is just speculation combined with research. The part about the tinted vision is canon, though, based on a few seconds in The Fry Cook What Came From All That Space when we get to see from Zim's perspective and everything is tinted the same color as his eyes.

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Mommaleasey- Agast, look! It still be rather wordy! But hopefully not filled with economic jargon…

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ri2- Um, yup. Pretty much. I guess it might be kinda like a deity using a prophet- the prophet is just easier for the people to deal with and can therefore focus on the actual message being presented to them. As for where Control Brains come from, I would assume that they are specially made. I'd say that they are the minds of the greatest Irkens in history, except, as this chapter mentions, Irkens love their comforts. I think it wouldn't be very productive to have a Control Brain pining for snacks they can't digest of a comfortable seat that they can't feel because they have no nerve endings.

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SilverPhoenix-21- Thank you for the fave and the watch! Yes, I do try to research everything that's not complete and total fiction, although not necessarily in-depth, because all those years of schooling do leave a lot of information to be worked with.

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Dr-Lovekill- Thank you for the compliments; I'll be on the lookout for your work. As for the names, I was somewhat inspired to write this by the works of Edward Rutherfurd. It's not pure history, but I find the use of fictitious characters to make for a different sort of read.

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**Economy**

Because so much is provided to the population, the domestic Irken economy focuses largely on products of comfort. There is a wide spectrum to be covered, from Civilian Class, minimum wage workers, to the wealthy Elites. One of the largest sectors of the domestic economy is found in the production of snack foods. This not only covers the foods that Irkens enjoy so much, but the taste testing and a the people who create the ideas for new foods. Due to the demand for snacks, packaging is also a large market. In fact, the packaging market, despite being highly profitable, suffers under the weight of conformity. There are few Irkens in possession of the creativity needed to create a proper, highly appealing package. Due to this shortage, the 'creative' Irkens are usually hired to design packages for high-end, luxury food products and cheaper and generic brands have very simple, text-based packaging in one or two bright colors.

Behind food and its companion markets, furniture is actually a very lucrative market. Irkens enjoy comfort and, although they are provided with housing and basic furniture, the furniture they are given is only standard furniture and not all that comfortable. Couches and chairs are the best sellers within the market, but there is good money in beds as well, even though Irkens rarely need to sleep.

Foreign trade consists of goods produced for but not consumed by the Irkens and whatever else they feel like selling. The Irkens have a few trade agreements, but largely export under "protection contracts." Like a school bully or a gang, the Irkens use their military strength to force other planets to buy their exports. As long as the inhabitants of the planets buy a certain amount (price wise), their planet will be 'protected' from the Irkens. If they fail to buy as much as demanded, their planets will be taken over by the Irkens and put towards their own uses.

In this way, the Irkens have a near endless supply of consumers, resulting in a remarkably stable economy that can boom whenever needed and has only a few, minor recessions. Due to the consumerist habits of Irkens and the use of "protection contracts" depressions have, as far as economists can predict, essentially been eliminated from the Irken economic cycle. In addition, the annexation of planets that fail to uphold the 'contract' perpetuates their economy by allowing more room and work for a larger population, creating more domestic consumers to replace the foreign ones.

Reviewing the Irken economy by sector divisions, it is possible to understand the lifestyle of the Irkens. Irkens hardly have a primary sector, because that is the part of industry that deals with natural resources and raw materials. The only time Irkens have natural resources for use in production is the point at which they take over an alien planet. At that point the conquered planet is stripped off all resources before being terraformed to suit the Irkens' vision of the planet.

Irkens do, however, have an extraordinarily effective secondary sector of economic activity. This sector deals with turning raw material in to a finished, usable product; the final form of the materials used. Although this work is preformed on slave labor planets, the economic activity is still a part of the Empire. Using slave labor to produce goods continuously, the advanced technology of the Irken Empire allows efficiency above almost all other species. The result of technology and slave labor is Irkens being able to manufacture enough products to satisfy its population of billions.

The tertiary sector of the economy is supported largely by the government, because Irkens pay for very few services. All requests to franchise go through the government to ensure an Irken's qualifications and success. All restraints are zoned to ensure quality and that the restraints within an area have very little competition amongst themselves. News is provided by the governments through the PAKs and an assortment of free medias. All consulting is handled within the government. The public transportation system is constructed and maintained by the government with no fees to use. Healthcare and hospital stays are provided free of charge by the government. All that is left of the tertiary sector outside of the government is retailing, entertainment, and leisure, all of which are well supported by the Irken populace.

The quaternary sector of the economy deals with intellectual services and is therefore handled almost entirely by the Scholar and Scientist Classes.

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Next section: PAKs


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